◆ ALABAMA · CARRY LAW
Alabama.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
Yes
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
- You must produce your permit if an officer asks for it.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Alabama requires
The state's permit is the Pistol Permit, issued by your county sheriff.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
Yes
Yes. Alabama repealed its pistol permit requirement with effect from 1 January 2023. The permit still exists but you no longer need it to carry.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Yes. Alabama has long allowed open carry, and since 2023 concealed carry needs no permit either.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes. The repealed section was the one that reached a pistol in a vehicle, so that requirement went with it.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
Your county sheriff SHALL approve a qualifying application. You do not need the permit to carry in Alabama. It is worth having because other states recognize it.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
No. § 13A-11-75 is written for “an Alabama resident”. A visitor does not need one anyway, since Alabama requires no permit to carry.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
19
The permit is 19. 18 if you are serving or a veteran. Alabama is one of only two states in this fact base that uses 19 for anything.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Only if asked
Only if asked. If an officer asks whether you are armed you must say so immediately. Separately, during a traffic stop do not touch the handgun at all unless the officer tells you to.
Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
No permit or license to buy, and no state waiting period.
No purchase-permit provision in Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11Read at the Alabama Legislature ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Listed every section of Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11 at the Legislature on 2026-09-06. 44 sections, §§ 13A-11-50 through 13A-11-100. The one section that ever regulated acquisition, § 13A-11-77 “Sales Regulated; Application for Purchase”, was read and is REPEALED. By Act 2000-762, effective 1 August 2000. Nothing replaced it.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
Alabama sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11Read at the Alabama Legislature ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Listed every section of Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11 at the Legislature on 2026-09-06. 44 sections, §§ 13A-11-50 through 13A-11-100. No section is headed to magazines or capacity, and § 13A-11-62, the weapons definitions, defines only rifle, shotgun and their short-barreled forms.How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
Cities and counties may not regulate firearms.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
No, none in this state
Alabama has no extreme-risk protection order.
No extreme-risk order in Alabama lawRead at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched for an Alabama extreme-risk or red-flag order on 2026-09-06. Alabama’s protection from abuse orders can reach firearms through federal prohibited-person rules, and no petition-based extreme-risk order exists alongside them.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Alabama honors
If you are visiting Alabama, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Alabama permits are honored
If you live in Alabama, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored30
Honored, with a condition3
Not honored19
Not settled2
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Alabama adds no suppressor law of its own.
No suppressor provision in Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11Read at the Alabama Legislature ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Listed every section of Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11 at the Legislature on 2026-09-06. 44 sections, §§ 13A-11-50 through 13A-11-100, and read § 13A-11-62, the division’s definitions. The only weapon the chapter reaches by description is the short-barreled rifle and shotgun of § 13A-11-63; the words machine gun, silencer and suppressor appear in no section title and in no definition.Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Alabama makes it an offense only when the federal rules are broken.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Alabama makes it an offense only when the federal rules are broken.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Alabama adds no machine gun law of its own.
No machine gun provision in Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11Read at the Alabama Legislature ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Listed every section of Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11 at the Legislature on 2026-09-06. 44 sections, §§ 13A-11-50 through 13A-11-100, and read § 13A-11-62, the division’s definitions. The only weapon the chapter reaches by description is the short-barreled rifle and shotgun of § 13A-11-63; the words machine gun, silencer and suppressor appear in no section title and in no definition.Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Alabama adds no any-other-weapon law of its own.
No any-other-weapon provision in Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11Read at the Alabama Legislature ↗Checked 9 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Listed every section of Ala. Code tit. 13A, ch. 11 at the Legislature on 2026-09-06. 44 sections, §§ 13A-11-50 through 13A-11-100, and read § 13A-11-62, the division’s definitions. The only weapon the chapter reaches by description is the short-barreled rifle and shotgun of § 13A-11-63; the words machine gun, silencer and suppressor appear in no section title and in no definition.◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- your county sheriff ↗
- ATF’s index
- Alabama firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)